Last updated 2025-08-22
Quick overview
Lithuania is among the most proactive EU countries when it comes to pay transparency. Employers are already subject to obligations that go beyond many other Member States. Since 2019, salary ranges must be disclosed in job postings, and pay gap data is available through both employer-level and national-level reporting systems.
The government is now preparing to fully transpose the EU Pay Transparency Directive by June 2026. Draft legislation was presented to the Tripartite Council of the Ministry of Social Security on May 27, 2025. These proposals are designed to build on existing obligations rather than replace them.
Reporting requirements
Which companies must report?
Employers with 20 or more employees must provide annual gender pay information to their works council or trade union representatives.
At the national level, Lithuania’s State Social Insurance Fund (Sodra) publishes monthly statistics on average wages by gender for all companies with at least 8 employees, provided that each gender is represented by at least 4 employees.
What information needs to be reported?
Employers must disclose average remuneration by occupational group and gender, excluding managers. Reporting is only required when at least two employees exist in a given group.
Employee representatives can also request more detailed category-level data annually. If they find gender pay gaps greater than 5%, the employer must analyze and remediate those gaps within six months.
When and where to send the data?
Internal disclosure is made to employee representatives once per year. The practice is to deliver the data by April 1 at the latest.
Employers are not currently required to publish their own data externally, but national aggregated wage statistics are publicly accessible through Sodra.
Who can see the results?
Internally, only works councils, trade unions, or employee representatives have the right to receive company-level data.
Externally, the public has access to aggregated wage data through Sodra’s monthly publications.
Equal pay laws
Lithuania’s Labour Code guarantees equal pay for equal work or work of equal value.
The Law on Equal Treatment prohibits discrimination based on gender and other protected grounds.
Employers must publish their remuneration systems either in collective agreements or internal policies. Job evaluation structures must reflect responsibilities, skills, effort, and working conditions, ensuring fairness across roles.
Employee rights
Employees benefit from several strong transparency rights:
Right to see salary ranges in job advertisements (in force since July 2019)
Right to request pay information through their representatives
Right to remediation when gender pay gaps exceed 5%
Right to fair job evaluation and transparent criteria for pay increases (mandatory for employers with 50+ employees)
Risks of non-compliance
Fines for non-compliance currently range from €240 to €280.
Under the forthcoming Directive-aligned amendments, fines may rise up to €6,000. Employers may also be required to explain or adjust their pay systems and implement remediation plans.
What will change by 2026
New EU-wide rules
The EU Pay Transparency Directive requires employers to provide job applicants with pay range information, ensure salary history bans, disclose pay gap data, and remediate unjustified gender pay differences. Reporting obligations will apply to companies with at least 100 employees.
How Lithuania is likely to apply them
Lithuania intends to go beyond the EU’s minimum standards. Draft proposals indicate:
Maintaining the existing reporting threshold of 20+ employees
Expanding to more detailed category-level reporting
Requiring remediation of 5%+ gaps within six months
Continuing mandatory pay range disclosures in job ads
Formalizing a salary history ban
Introducing tiered penalties up to €6,000
Strengthening job grading and pay increase disclosure obligations
Lithuania is expected to complete full alignment with the Directive by June 2026.
FAQ
Do small employers need to report?
No. Only companies with 20 or more employees must provide internal pay gap reporting. However, aggregated wage statistics are published nationally for employers with 8 or more employees.
Are salary ranges mandatory in job postings?
Yes. Since July 2019, every job advertisement must include a salary range.
What happens if a pay gap above 5% is identified?
The employer must investigate and remediate the gap within six months unless it can be justified by objective, gender-neutral factors.
Are employees allowed to see individual salaries?
No. Employees see average remuneration by category, not individual-level pay.
Will penalties increase?
Yes. Fines may increase to €6,000, and there will be stronger remediation obligations.
Helpful resources
Lithuania’s Labour Code
Law on Equal Treatment
State Social Insurance Fund (Sodra) – monthly wage statistics
Ministry of Social Security and Labour – Tripartite Council updates
EU Pay Transparency Directive (Directive (EU) 2023/970)
